Justice Brothers Hit Hollywood; UC Irvine MLK Day Meal Offends

Jan 27, 2011

RUSH: Ladies and gentlemen, we have — Mike, I know you have it standing by here, the story will dovetail with this next one coming up here from the Los Angeles Times. The Justice Brothers, the Reverend Sharpton or Reverend Jackson turns out are livid when they heard about our story yesterday that not one of the top ten nominated movies for best film features an African-American actor or actress in a lead or support role, or any person of color. And they have sent us — of course, we’re devoted to equal time and all that. Justice Brothers have asked for airtime for this.

(playing of Justice Brothers spoof)

RUSH: Somehow we knew they wouldn’t be happy, which is why we readily agreed to offer them 90 seconds here to rebut obviously left-wing bigotry, racism, and sexism, homophobia, and all the rest of it coming out of Hollywood this year. From the Los Angeles Times — again, listen very carefully. Turn up your radio. From the Los Angeles Times. Got that? From the Los Angeles Times, Nate Jackson, the Los Angeles Times: ‘A last-minute decision to serve fried chicken and waffles at a campus dining hall in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. was a regrettable choice and lacked sensitivity, UC Irvine officials acknowledged Wednesday.’ Again, Nate Jackson writing in the Los Angeles Times.

‘A last-minute decision to serve fried chicken and waffles at a campus dining hall in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. was a regrettable choice and lacked sensitivity, UC Irvine officials acknowledged Wednesday. The meal was served at Pippin Commons on Jan. 17, the first day of UC Irvine’s 28th annual Martin Luther King Jr. symposium. The theme of the three-day campus event was ‘Uniting Our Voice for Change.’ Past speakers have included Julian Bond, the late Dick Gregory and the late Yolanda King, the civil rights leader’s daughter. The menu and a sign in the dining hall reading ‘MLK Holiday Special: Chicken and Waffles’ were pulled together at the last minute by a chef and other cafeteria staff members, said UC Irvine spokeswoman Cathy Lawhon. The culinary choices were made without any university oversight, Lawhon said.

‘UC Irvine student Ricardo Sparks, the 20-year-old co-chairman of the university’s Black Student Union, lodged a formal complaint with the administration. … Thomas Parham, vice chancellor of student affairs, tried unsuccessfully to schedule a meeting with Sparks and another student who had filed a complaint, Lawhon said. Sparks said he had waited to respond until he rallied other students to attend to meeting. University officials said they are trying to set up a meeting with Sparks and other critics for next week. The chef has not been disciplined, Lawhon said, and it was unclear if any action would be taken in the future.’ Fried chicken and waffles, UC Irvine, story by Nate Jackson in the Los Angeles Times.

Gail in Seattle. I’m so glad you called. Welcome to the EIB Network. (fakes conversation) Yeah. No, no, no, thank you, thanks, thanks. No, no, no, no, no. Hmm. Hm-hm. Hm-hm. Oh? I’ve just been told she’s not there. It took the staff 20 seconds to tell me she wasn’t there, and rather than 20 seconds of dead air, I thought I would fake a conversation. (laughing) Gail, are you there? Testing, one, two, three —

CALLER: I’m here.

RUSH: Hi!

CALLER: I’m here. Hi, Rush.

RUSH: Welcome to the program. Yes, how are you?

CALLER: I’m great. Thank you. But I’m confused. I gotta tell you, I’m confused about this whole chef thing in California with the chicken and waffles, because chicken and waffles is classic soul food, and I don’t know what they would expect that chef to make other than soul food or Southern cuisine if they’re trying to celebrate Martin Luther King Day.

RUSH: You might have known that. Chef obviously didn’t know that fried chicken and waffles is soul food, and apparently not very many people do, either, because the UC Irvine is in heap-big doo-doo over this.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: I did a quick Wikipedia search during the obscene profit timeout and indeed, according to Wikipedia, to the extent that you can believe that, fried chicken and waffles is indeed a soul food dish. We looked it up. Now, I have to tell you, I’m stunned. I mean, I didn’t know that. But apparently nobody at UC Irvine knows it, either, including the Black Student Union. Let’s go back. Let us review this. UC Irvine says a fried chicken and waffle dinner on Martin Luther King Jr. Day was insensitive. ‘The menu and a sign in the dining hall reading ‘MLK Holiday Special: Chicken and Waffles’ were pulled together at the last minute by a chef and other cafeteria staff members, said UC Irvine spokeswoman Cathy Lawhon. The culinary choices were made without any university oversight, Lawhon said. UC Irvine student Ricardo Sparks, the 20-year-old co-chairman of the university’s Black Student Union, lodged a formal complaint with the administration.’

So the 20-year-old chairman of the Black Student Union does not know that fried chicken and waffles is an accredited soul food dish, and yet our caller from Seattle knew that. So I just wanted to say we double-checked Wikipedia, found it to be the case.

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RUSH: Folks, I just got an e-mail from the renowned author Zev Chafets, who informs me that at Amy Ruth’s restaurant in Harlem, fried chicken and waffles is called the Al Sharpton on the menu. At Amy Ruth’s restaurant in Harlem, fried chicken and waffles is called the Al Sharpton. Look what you learn on this program.

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RUSH: The Reverend Jackson last Saturday in Pittsburgh, this is the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, Monochrome Coalition president Reverend Jackson.

JACKSON: The First Lady asked us to have a diet that can sustain our lives. Though it is a takeover, it is a good takeover. See, some things should be taken over. See, good health care (applause/cheers) should be taken over. Good education should be taken over. Transportation should be taken over. The need for jobs should be taken over. The need for peace should be taken over!

RUSH: Right on, right on, right on. Now, that was a cheap microphone there. You probably were not able to hear all of what the Reverend Jackson had to say. I fortunately have the transcript here. This was in Pittsburgh last Saturday. ‘The first lady asked us to have a diet that can sustain our lives. Though it is a takeover, it’s a good takeover. See, some things should be taken over. See, good health care should be taken over. Good education should be taken over. Transportation should be taken over. The need for jobs should be taken over. The need for peace should be taken over.’ Reverend Jackson, all that has been taken over, and some of us are trying to get the country back. (interruption) You’re saying that the Reverend Jackson cannot order the Al Sharpton anymore because it’s not healthy? Right, fried chicken and waffles. Yeah, that would make sense. Do you think Michelle Obama would approve that as healthy eating? Doubtful, given what we know about her stance on the issue.

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RUSH: Right here I’ve got it. I’ve got a copy of Amy Ruth’s menu in Harlem, the Reverend Al Sharpton, chicken and waffles, fried or smothered. And right here in Los Angeles at Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles on West Sunset Boulevard. So apparently unbeknownst to the Black Student Union leader at UC Irvine, it is accepted, accredited soul food. Has to be.